Shot a Garand Match today

[Mals9]

Shot my first CMP Garand match with my very first reloads. I shot at the Benchrest Club of St. Louis and had a great time.The facility is top notch. Course of fire was 50 rounds at 200 yards, 5 sighters, 20 slow prone, 10 rapid standing to sitting, 10 rapid standing to prone, and 10 slow off-hand.
I did very well in the slow prone, nothing lower than the 8 ring, and pretty good in rapid fire sitting. Rapid fire off-hand with no sling ate my lunch. I scored a 370 out of 500. I have never worked the "pit" before, that was an experience I really enjoyed. I am very happy with my performance and even more so with the stock rifle and my reloads. I loaded 47gr of IMR 4895 pushing a 150gr Hornady FMJBT out of Greek surplus brass. The rifle ran great without a hitch. Only problem I had was the occasional hot piece of brass on my back from the guy to my left. I'm looking forward to another match.

Mals

 

[1KPerDay]

Very cool! I would like to do that someday.

 

[BrocLuno]

Go do it. Sounds like loads of fun, envious here - have fun

 

[Ignition Override]

Well done.

My first time in a casual version (non-competitive), with three very experienced guys, left me struggling in prone position with the sling loop on my right arm as I tried to figure how to handle the gun on therthin mat, but not scratch the muzzle on the concrete, and still insert a full clip.

Being a lefty should not be so awkward, but was mostly due to my lack of training.
That single event was very awkward and difficult. ...an unfamiliar struggle.
Ran out of time, but they allowed me to shoot the rds., being non-competitive.

Are there any Youtube videos which demonstrate how a Lefty can operate the Garand with the left hand, while the right arm is tightly bound in a loop and tight sling?

 

[1KPerDay]

I shoot long guns lefty also and I'd like to hear the answer as well. I've been wondering if it would be possible to load with my left hand.

 

[hps1]

Are there any Youtube videos which demonstrate how a Lefty can operate the Garand with the left hand, while the right arm is tightly bound in a loop and tight sling?

Hope you can read this photo of an article on lefties loading the M1:

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If not, pics may be of some help.

Regards,
hps

 

[Semyon Vasilii]

i would try to lean the rifle over 90 degrees to the left (so the charging handle side of the rifle is facing the sky) and use my left hand to insert enbloc. might be awkward on the right arm causing it to stick in the air chicken wing style but idk. i dont have time to try it right now. but just experiment a bunch with it. find whats comfortable first, then try to make it faster.

 

[chris in va]

Same exact load I use with my Field Grade. That match sounds like fun!

 

[P-32]

Be careful Mals, the bug might bite you......Garand matches are fun. I get to shoot one next weekend.

 

[Mals9]

P-32 the bug has latched on already. I'm searching for another match now.

Mals

 

[henschman]

I'd love to take my rifle to a CMP M1 match, but I never see any of them around Oklahoma. I have a field grade with a 1.5 barrel and 1 throat that shoots great. I love shooting from field positions and have quite a bit of experience with it, being that I'm an Appleseed shot boss. I'd like to go to some events where I could be competitive with a rack grade rifle. NRA highpower is fun and all, but I don't want to have to spend over a grand on an AR that I won't use for anything other than NRA highpower, just to be competitive.

There is a club close by that does some M1 and other service rifle shoots, but they are all from the bench, and that isn't really my cup of tea.

 

[P-32]

NRA highpower is fun and all, but I don't want to have to spend over a grand on an AR that I won't use for anything other than NRA highpower, just to be competitive.

Ah but you are missing the point. You won't want to shoot the tuned up AR on any thing other than a match.

 

[wombat13]

What a coincidence to see your post this morning. I shot my first CMP match on Saturday as well (and I'm a lefty too). One of the guys there let me borrow a single shot clip that makes it much easier to load a single round with just one hand. You insert the empty clip in to the rifle and it clicks into place. You then press a round down into the clip and just pull back on the op rod and let it slam closed. Here are links to two single round clips. I don't know if there are any differences between the two and I don't know which I was using:

http://www.creedmoorsports.com/store/product.php?productid=888903
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=998298

Our course of fire was: 5 sighters, 20 slow prone (loaded singly), 10 rapid prone (one 8 round and one 2 round clip), 10 rapid sitting, and 10 slow standing.

I had never fired my Garand at 200 yards so they let me shoot extra sighters to get it zeroed. I ended up shooting a 420 (2X). My best string was the rapid fire prone, probably because I could shoot 8 in a row without coming off the stock.

The bug definitely bit me. I came home and told my wife I have a long list of equipment needs that will cover Father's Day and my b-day. Let's see:

Shooting jacket: $300 to $400
Shooting glove: $50
Shooting mat: $30
Single and two round clips: 30